Contact lens TVs 'within 10 years'

Futurologists peer into the future of audio-visual technology

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The future of interactive TV has been announced in a new report, and the results are somewhat surprising.

Commissioned by electrical retailer Comet, and compiled by Miriam Rayman, of the Future Laboratory consultancy, the study suggests that things like TV contact lenses and digital tattoos will be a reality "within 10 years".

A person who agrees with these highly inventive ideas about the future of television is Ian Pearson, an independent 'futurologist', who used to work for BT where he was employed to 'study the future'.

Total immersion

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Pearson said about the idea of TV contact lenses: "You will just pop it into your eye in the morning and take it out at the end of the day." The lenses will apparently be powered by body heat.

As for digital tattoos, these will be attached to the body and transmit certain feelings relating to the lead actors on the screen. If they are in a high-speed chase then you will feel like you are in one.

"We could even get to the point where we'll be able to immerse ourselves in a football game, making it feel like you're running alongside your favourite player or berating the ref," the report states.

Accurately measure consumer change

Bob Darke, Comet's Commercial Director, said about the findings: "The future of home entertainment will go well beyond wafer-thin screens - we will be networked to our TVs emotionally and we will enjoy interacting with our home entertainment systems.

"The world, in all its multi-sensory forms, will literally come to us, just the way we want it. It will give staying in and slouching on the sofa a whole new meaning."

So how did Future Laboratory consultancy and Ian Pearson come up with this interesting, but highly unlikely view of the near-future?

According to Future Laboratory's website, it does the following: "Our patented cultural triangulation process allows us to accurately measure consumer change and to gauge where your brand sits in relation to these shifts.

"Just as when reading a map, three references must be taken – triangulated – in order to determine the fourth coordinate, the point in the future where you need to place your brand, product or service to take advantage of these new and emerging market movements." Right, it all makes perfect sense now.

According to Future Laboratory, a PR Report of this type will cost retailers "from £15,000". There's no word if there's a refund given out if the vision of the future presented turns out not to be true.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Content Team Lead

Marc (Twitter, Google+) is the content team lead for Future Technology, where he is in charge of a 14-strong team of journalists who write many of the wonderful stories that end up on TechRadar, T3.com and T3 magazine. Prior to this he was deputy editor of TechRadar, had a 10-month stint editing a weekly iPad magazine, written film reviews for a whole host of publications and has been an integral part of many magazines that are no longer with us.